Filemon Vela, border politicians resurrecting immigration reform

Texas Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, is hoping to revive the immigration debate on Capitol Hill before the end of the year, but the looming government shutdown so far has hindered discussions on anything other than the budget, pushing immigration to the sidelines for now.

AP Charles Dharapak

Vela and Arizona Democrat Raul Grijalva introduced a bill last week to continue talks on comprehensive immigration reform before the end of the year, despite Congress’s distraction with the budget showdown, according to The Brownsville Herald.

Vela said he hopes the bill will open up more options and discussion on immigration, which remains a hot topic. Both Congressmen represent towns on the border of Mexico.

Texas Republicans riled up Democrats last week when two Congressmen, John Carter of Round Rock and Sam Johnson of Plano, left the Gang of Eight bipartisan immigration group, citing mistrust in President Barack Obama’s administration and leadership.

Vela hopes to rectify the tensions in the committee by loosening a bill introduced earlier by the Senate.

Like the Senate’s earlier immigration proposal, Vela’s bill calls for improved border security and a path to citizenship option, but it leaves open the option of which to address first and how to do it, enabling the issues to stand alone, according to the Herald.

The Pew Research Center’s Hispanic Trends Project released new data Monday indicating that although the illegal immigrant population in the U.S. has fallen since its 2007 peak at 12.2 million, preliminary numbers indicate it could be on the rise again. Additionally, among the states where 60 percent of undocumented immigrants live, Texas is the only state where immigration has already increased. In 2010, Texas had about 1.6 million immigrants; in 2011, it had 1.7 million.